Cities reflect what we value. For much of Jakarta’s modern history, the city has grown around vehicles, infrastructure, and commercial expansion—often at the expense of people’s everyday experience. A global financial and commercial hub and home to a booming technology sector, Indonesia’s capital city anchors the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Yet this sprawling megacity of more than 11 million residents faces significant challenges. Jakarta is a city full of life, energy, and opportunity, but it can also feel fragmented, exhausting, and difficult to navigate.

We believe the next wave of urban transformation in Jakarta—and cities across Asia—is not just about new skylines or infrastructure. It’s about prioritizing the human experience. It’s about designing places that are intuitive, inclusive, and enriching for all who live, work, and move through them. This idea was at the heart of our presentation in May at the ARCH:ID 2025 Conference in Tangerang, Indonesia, where we explored how people-friendly design can shape more equitable, climate-responsive, and connected urban futures.

People-friendly cities are not a nice-to-have. They are a necessity. And at this critical juncture for an economic powerhouse that continues to grow, Jakarta has an opportunity to lead this shift.

In recent years, the expansion of Jakarta’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system has become a catalyst for more connected and equitable urban development. SOM had the privilege of preparing the urban design guidelines for the first seven stations and their surrounding precincts. The vision extended beyond maximizing development potential—it aimed to shape a new kind of urban fabric centered on livable density, walkability, accessibility, and shared public space. In this model, transit becomes more than a means of movement—it becomes a hub for community life and a driver of urban transformation.

Developed in collaboration with PDW and finalized in 2018, SOM’s TOD urban design guidelines have had a significant impact on the transit user experience—most notably at Dukuh Atas Station. There, the Kendal Tunnel, previously a congested vehicular underpass, has been transformed into a safe and inviting pedestrian corridor. This intervention now links the new MRT station to the existing Sudirman rail station and Sudirman Baru airport rail link station, creating an integrated, people-friendly transit hub in the heart of Jakarta.

However, much work remains to be done. Today, too much of Jakarta is dominated by cars and underused infrastructure. Public sidewalks are often too narrow or entirely missing, green space is limited, and civic gathering areas are few. People-friendly design means shifting the focus: from vehicles to pedestrians, from roads to parks, from isolated developments to integrated neighborhoods. Cities like New York have shown what’s possible—its pedestrian plaza program not only improved safety (with injuries dropping by 40 percent) but also boosted local retail sales by as much as 172 percent [1]. The lesson is clear: designing for people drives both social and economic value.

We must also move beyond single-use zoning. Why should a commercial district fall silent at night? Why treat transit stations as isolated nodes rather than social and cultural anchors? A more vibrant Jakarta can emerge from overlapping uses—where homes, jobs, food, education, nature, and culture coexist within walking distance of one another. Melbourne offers a compelling example: following the implementation of the Postcode 3000 policy in the 1990s, which incentivized residential development in the CBD, the central city’s dwelling numbers increased from 650 in 1985 to over 40,000 today [2]. This shift brought new life to streets, boosted local businesses, and helped transform the city from a 9-to-5 center into a truly mixed-use urban district.

Jakarta’s climate and geography make these priorities even more urgent. In a tropical city, shaded walkways, green buffers, and open-air public spaces aren’t just aesthetic—they are essential. Flooding, heat, and environmental stress can be mitigated through thoughtful design that respects the environment while serving human needs.

We also need to redefine how we measure success. Beyond efficiency and floor area, we should ask: Do people have access to daylight and trees? Can they walk safely and comfortably to their destination? Do neighborhoods support health, sociability, and a sense of belonging? These are not abstract ideals—they are designable, measurable, and increasingly necessary. And today, we have the tools to quantify these outcomes. In Barcelona, the Superblocks program—a large-scale planning initiative to prioritize people over cars—has been estimated to result in a 24.3 percent reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels and a 5.4 percent drop in vehicular noise, and to prevent 667 premature deaths annually, demonstrating how people-centered urban design can deliver wide-ranging improvements to public health and environmental quality [3].

Jakarta is already full of innovation, talent, and resilience. The question now is whether that energy can be translated into a more livable, inclusive, and people-centered city—not just in new developments, but across the full spectrum of urban life. By designing with a focus on the human experience, Jakarta can build upon the dynamism that has spurred its rise as a global business and cultural capital. It can become a city that truly works for people—and invites them to stay, connect, and thrive.

SOM will be attending the CTBUH Indonesia Conference, “Building Resilient Urban Futures: Innovations in Tall Building Design,” held on July 10, 2025, and we look forward to continuing this conversation.

Michael Powell is an urban designer and Senior Associate Principal in SOM’s Melbourne office.

Ian Ralph is an urban designer and Senior Associate Principal in SOM’s Hong Kong office.

Peter Brannan, now retired from SOM, served as the firm’s business development leader in the Asia Pacific region.